At Reel Action Alaska we absolutely love mousing for rainbows! The Kanektok River is just one big playground for leopard rainbows and mice are like their toys. They are so programmed into eating mice that many times they prefer a mouse fly over anything else cast to them. There’s not many places in the world that trout are this aggressive to mouse flies and what’s amazing is everything from salmon to trout to char to even grayling have been caught on mouse patterns – a truly amazing fishery! The takes are unexplainable unless experienced in person. To have a big rainbow charge your mouse pattern on the top water leaving a huge splash and wake – the feeling can’t be beat! If you want to focus on dry fly action for trout come in mid July – this is before the egg drop and our leopard rainbows, arctic char, and dolly varden are very keyed in on mice and lemmings. Check out some of our mousing pictures below!

Kanektok River rainbow trout and dolly varden / arctic char are some of the most gorgeous fish in Alaska. The rainbows are called leopards and are among the most stunning rainbows in Alaska – bright red lateral stripes and large, prominent spots across their entire body, even their eyes! These rainbows average 18-24”, with some 28″ fish caught every season. Excellent trout fishing can be from early July through August. You can sight cast for the rainbows and they can be caught using a variety of flies and techniques including mouse patterns, leach patterns, egg flies, flesh flies, dry flies and nymphs.

The dollies enter the river as a bright silver army and gradually change color as they get closer to spawning. They have neon bright orange / red bellies that almost seem to glow and sport a fantastic green and blue, sometimes almost turquoise upper body. This coloration is made even more vivid by the many vibrant orange spots that dapple their body. In a nutshell, dollies are the ‘tropical fish’ of Alaska. It is not uncommon for people who catch these magnificent fish to say that they are the most beautiful fish they have ever seen or caught. Averaging 18-24,” larger fish range up to 28.” They can be caught on leaches, dry flies, mice and egg patterns.